Cumin Lime Roast Chicken

Gather your ingredients.

We'll start by brining the whole chicken for about 4 hours.

Chili Lime Chicken Brine

Brining poultry adds an extra step to the prep process, but it pays for itself in texture and flavor.

Slice up the jalapeños. This may seem like a lot of jalapeño, but don't worry, the effect is subtle, not too spicy.

Slice up the limes. Don't worry about precision, they're just going into the brine.

Remove the peel from the garlic cloves.

Dissolve 1/4 cup salt in 8 cups of hot water.

Add the peppercorns.

Add the garlic cloves.

Add the sliced Jalapeño.

Add the stick of cinnamon.

Add the sliced lime.

Add the brown sugar.

Bring the brine to a boil. Remove from heat and cool before use.

Don't put the hot brine directly into the fridge because a pot of boiling water will raise the temperature of your entire fridge. Let it cool to room temperature, then put it in the fridge.

Once the brine is cool, submerge your chicken for about 4 hours. More than 4 hours shouldn't have much of an effect. A gallon ziplock bag works great for this, and should be able to handle up to a 6 lb. chicken.

Remove the chicken from the brine and give it a rinse to remove the random brine ingredients and any salty water clinging to the skin. Save the bag so you can use it for the marinade.

Gather the ingredients for the marinade.

Cumin Lime Marinade

One of my favorite marinades. Best for chicken or beef.

Peel the garlic cloves and grate using a microplane, or crush to a paste with a kitchen knife.

How to Crush Garlic

Basic cooking techniques. Using the side of your knife.

Pour the salt into a medium mixing bowl.

Put the dried oregano in a medium mixing bowl.

Add the cumin.

Add the paprika.

Add the olive oil.

Add the crushed garlic.

Cut the lime in half and squeeze the juice into the marinade. Watch out for the seeds.

Whisk to combine.

Coat the chicken in marinade. I recommend at least 4 hours marinating, but it usually works best to just leave it overnight.

Preheat oven to 350°F

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Run a piece of butchers twine behind the back, under the armpits, over the crevice between the thighs and breast, down under and around the outside of the ankles, and cinch it tight to pin the legs together under the tip of the breast.

How to Truss a Chicken

Trussing a chicken hugs the thighs up to the chest so that they will cook a little more slowly, allowing the whole bird to cook more evenly.

Place the whole chicken on a baking tray. Chicken can be a little messy. A sheet of parchment will make cleanup a lot easier.

Cooking time will depend on the size of your chicken. I like to do my first check at around 45 minutes for smaller chickens.

Check the internal temperature at the breast and thigh, trying to position the tip of the thermometer at a point where it is furthest and most insulated from the surface. The thigh is right on the money in the video here, but the breast is still 7 degrees off. The temperature should rise 5-10°F as it rests, so I'm satisfied that it will coast up to a good level while resting.

Remove the twine and carve it up. If you need a hand carving your chicken, the recipe attached here contains a thorough walkthrough.

How to Roast and Carve a Chicken

A lot of home cooks are more comfortable baking a birthday cake than roasting a chicken. But it's one of the easiest and most stress-free ways to get a good meal on the table. Follow this recipe if it's your first time roasting a whole bird, and come up with your own twist next time.